Flying Wyverns with gold/silver scales. They display high sexual dimorphism, but they both have long, strong tails and powerful talons. Female specimens have ocelli on their wings, while males have a flame pattern.

Measures:

Males: 2248.6 cm to 1140.6 cm, Females 2303.8 cm to 1151.9 cm.

Distribution:

Minegarde

Habitat:

The Tower, Old Swamp, Forest and Hills, and Highland.

Diet:

Carnivore. Main prey are Aptonoth and Bullfango, and occasionally Kelbi.

The Silver Rathalos/Gold Rathian is a True Wyvern found in the Tower, Old Swamp, Forest and Hills and the Highland. Known for their shining scales, golden in females and silver in males, they are one of the strongest Wyvern species. They are successful predators that hunt in pairs, as they are monogamous monsters.

The Mingardean variety has the name Wyvernus supremus minoluminosa, meaning "less lustrous and supreme wyvern".

Characteristics

Appearance

Flying Wyverns with gold/silver scales. Their carapaces are really durable and it is very hard to pierce them. The wings are strong and large, particularly on male specimens. The tail is also powerful and in female specimens they are filled with a deadly poison. The males, however, have poison on their claws, which is as deadly as the female ones. The rest of the body is very similar to other Rath species.

Measures

They can grow to a size of 2303.8 cm to 1151.9 cm on females. However, males are a bit smaller and grow to a size of 2248.6 cm to 1140.6. The tail is about as long as the main body, which means both sections of an adult individual are about 8 to 10.5 metres long. Though without tusks at birth, they grow them in its first two weeks after its birth for 2.5 to 3.5 cm per year getting a length of about 1.2m.
Wingspan is very wide in both genders, reaching 14 to 17m.

Inner Organs

They both have a flame sac in their chests, wich allows them to shoot fireballs that are more powerful than other Rath subspecies. They also have a poison gland that leads in the claws (males) or in the tail (females). They have the ability to fly over large periods of time, suggesting that their lungs may be really big.

Differences to the Moga Equivalent

The main difference is their flying abilities: While the Mogan equivalent is more adapted to air combat, the Minegardean one prefers to fight in land. Therefore, the wings of the Minegardean equivalent are smaller and less powerful. The color of the scales also varies between regions - the Minegardean Rath has duller scales and less patterned wings.

Biological Adaptations

Physical Adapations

Poisonous tail/claws allows them to kill prey more efficiently, as well as defence against predators. Their wings are powerful and they are used to search for prey from above.

Senses

Gold Rathian/Silver Rathalos' best sense is their sight. They (especially the males) are flying predators, so they need good eyesight to hunt down their prey.

Biology and Behavior

Hunting and Diet

Carnivore. Main prey are medium-big herbivores like Aptonoth, but they also hunt small predators like Velociprey or Yian Kut-Ku. They use their poisonous claws/tail to slay them, along with sharp teeth and brute force.

Intelligence

They are intelligent predators, as they can cooperate to hunt prey.

Natural Predators

Because of the many elder dragons living in the Tower, Silver Rathalos/Gold Rathian must be aware of them. They can be preyed by Fatalis or other powerful dragons. In other habitats, however, these wyvrens are top-predators, and fear nothing.

Social Behavior

They are solitary until they find a mate, then stay with their partner forever, as Gold Rathian/Silver Rathalos is a monogamous monster. Otherwise, they are very aggressive towards other monsters, specially the male specimens.